Punctured Souls and Other Black Holes
by werewolfbleu
Summary: Wey-Yu is resurrecting a scrapped project. Blake is an animal handler, with an assorted past as colorful as her hair, who gets caught in the middle and must choose between a life on the run with the Xenomorph she's raised since birth or tarnish the tattered remnants of her soul. Add a Yautja born with the stigma of a BadBlood to the mess of Blake's life and things get really hairy.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

"Forgive me, Dr. Reid, while I've read the proposal you sent me as well as the terms and conditions, and admit it is interesting, I cannot in good conscience get behind this project." To my surprise, I actually sounded confident. I didn't feel very confident, especially since I was sure both men had seen me eying the closed door of the office more than once. But faking it worked, so long as they bought it.

The overstuffed chair I sat in sucked me deep into its plushy softness making it extremely hard not to fidget. Dr. Reid, the lab director, exchanged a glance with David Aldridge, the overseer of all projects at the Weyland-Yutani Focal facility. And I had to fight not to squirm in the stupid chair when both men turned their scrutinous gazes back on me. Hands on my thighs, my fingers dug into the well-worn fabric of my dark olive cargos as I fought the compulsion not to duck their eyes. I couldn't lose face. I may not be a people person, but I was damn good at my job.

Dr. Reid sighed, he'd completely expected that response. "Ms. Kadrel-"

"Blake." I zipped my lips and fought the blush trying to creep its way up my neck. I hadn't meant to cut him off. "Sorry. But I prefer to be addressed by my forename," I said in a smaller voice than I'd meant to use. Dammit. Why the hell had I done that? Now both men were staring at me in what I chose to believe was confusion at my sharp reaction and not wondering if I was really related to Rook ''Cold Heart'' Kadrel. At 5'6", I had an athletic but lean build and my style... well, my unflattering style of long sleeves and cargos didn't exactly radiate confidence or badassery, so it was completely understandable when people couldn't see me as some infamous mercenary's daughter. My surname came with so many strings attached to it that I often found myself coming dangerously close to being garotted by them.

 _That part of my life is over._ And yet here it was hounding my steps again. Or was it? To be honest, they could just as easily be wondering if the woman with pixie pink hair might be more than a little bit off-kilter. _Jeez, Blake, get a grip!_

Dr. Reid recovered first and tried a different approach, "Think of the lives of the Marines we could save." His hazel eyes were charming behind his large circular glasses. And with his paunch belly and snowy hair, it was hard to stay defensive when the guy looked like Santa. Still, Santa or not, I couldn't fathom why the Company believed this project could or would ever work. Then, there was also the niggling feeling that Dr. Reid and David Aldridge weren't being completely forthright with the Company's intentions. If being Rook Kadrel's daughter had taught me anything, it was a perception for bullshit.

I cleared my throat, "I agree that saving lives is a noble cause, however, and no offense to you gentlemen, but after decades of failed attempts, you'd think the Company might've learned when to throw in the towel."

Less than six years ago the Company ran an experiment called the Xeno Regenesis Project, successfully creating male Xenomorphs. Xenomorphs are inherently female and reproduce asexually. Meaning there was no need for males, but that hadn't been why the Company created them. As I understand it, the Company thought they could breed a Xenomorph with a human without killing said human. A sick and ultimately doomed experiment from the start. Yet, it was still impressive that they'd managed to engineer a Xenomorph phenotype that came to recognize a human as part of his pack. However, after Specimen 2 escaped, the Company washed their hands of it. Or so I'd heard. Even if I hadn't said it out loud, this was the failed experiment I'd wanted to reference and judging by the two men's responses I'd say they came to that same conclusion as well.

Dr. Reid looked appropriately abashed and touched a hand to the back of his neck. Aldridge on the other hand just looked annoyed, his square jaw set and his striking blue eyes frosty.

"Ms. Blake," Aldridge began, his voice calm and without a trace of the annoyance, I'd witnessed a split second ago. "You must understand, the Company doesn't share your opinion nor do they want it. No _offense_ but whatever personal issue or grudge you hold against Xenomorphs is not our concern. You're the best in your field and know more about this species than the majority of the people on my staff." He leaned forward, elbows on his immaculate hardwood desk and steepled his fingers in front of him. A lock of his well-kept sandy blonde hair fell into his eyes, but he made no move to tuck it away as he raked me with an assessing gaze. "As a scientist, you should remain objective."

Dammit. He had a point. Of course, that didn't necessarily mean I believed in what they were doing here. In the case of Xenomorphs, it went beyond playing with fire. And it was never _if_ you were going to get burned but _when_.

"All I need to know," Aldridge continued, the tips of his pointer fingers tapping one another. "Is if you can do it."

I was beginning think of David Aldridge as a world-class snake oil salesman. Though, after debating this decision and defending it for over an hour now, he'd widdled me down quite a bit. _Or maybe my sense of morality is as cheap as my father's._ I took a deep breath and tried not to sound as frustrated as I felt at my own indecision. "Aside from certain reptiles, and some alien species, most offspring are dependent on their mothers from infancy, though, none are more helpless than humans. However, Xenomorphs are the exception to the standard. To any standard really, because they mature rapidly and can hunt and defend themselves from the get-go. Now, the only way it would be even remotely possible for me to attempt what you're suggesting is for a Xenomorph to be dependent on an adult to some degree with the ability to imprint on another species." My eyes narrowed, "So how do you expect me to achieve the impossible?"

A slippery smile curved his lips, "Because here at the Focal facility, we've managed to do the impossible Ms. Blake. A new breed of Xenomorph is about to be born, and she will need someone to teach her how to survive."

" _Need_? Since when does a Xenomorph need anything beyond a host?"

But it was Dr. Reid who answered, "Because we designed her this way. A phenotype who will be completely dependent upon you."

His use of the word _designed_ disgusted me, but I managed not to let it show.

Aldridge nodded approvingly, "And now all I need is your expertise in rearing wild animals in captivity."

I frowned. Dr. Reid had indicated the Xenomorph was female, so I didn't have to worry about being set up for some twisted love connection. But my bullshit meter was still pinging off the charts.

"So to be clear," I hedged, knowing full well I'd be stepping on toes. "This isn't a breeding program of any kind? Right?"

Aldridge's brow ticked, "No. While the Regenesis Project wasn't a total failure, the phenotype did survive and even imprinted on Tessa Kellen Cherish, there were too many unforeseen problems. But yes, ultimately the project was scrapped after Specimen 2 evaded recapture and disappeared."

Satisfied that he'd been somewhat honest with me, I decided not to keep picking at the old wound. They'd fucked up with that project, and they knew it. _Maybe I'd been too hasty in my decision not to accept the offer..._ Still, this proposal shared a lot of characteristics with Regenesis, and while it deeply troubled me, I'd also be a fool to allow anyone else to take the job. And not because I'd lose out on something no one else has ever done, but because someone else would probably screw it up. Besides, it wasn't as if I had any other job offers lined up. No one wanted to hire me after... after... dammit, I couldn't even bring myself to think about it without...

A familiar flutter of anxiety tightened my chest. Despite my sudden distress, I managed not to rub my arms or sink further into the marshmallowy chair. _And here I thought I was moving past it..._

"Alright," I heard myself saying before I could come to my senses and realize just how stupid this was. "I'll do it."

 _In bed with Wey-Yu..._ I winced. Poor choice of words. _I really am Rook's daughter..._

Aldridge beamed, "Excellent." He picked up a small datapad the size and shape of a standard greeting card and handed it to me. "You need to sign a second ND, plus a few more forms before you can be cleared to move about the facility freely. You'll also receive an ID badge shortly. Make sure to have it on your person at all times; otherwise, you won't be able to get into certain areas, and security will detain you and become a pain in my ass about protocol."

I leafed through the second nondisclosure and inwardly sighed at the outrageous number of pages and how most of the information was regurgitated over and over again.

A soft ping brought my head up, and I glanced at Dr. Reid who seemed very pleased by a message he'd just received. He tucked the slim communicator into the chest pocket of his rumpled green shirt and smiled at Aldridge. "It's time."

My brow puckered. _It's time? For what?_

Aldridge smirked, blue eyes glittering as they met my jade green ones. "Ms. Blake," he stood. "It's time for you to meet your... dependent..."

...

A fierce obsidian beauty, no bigger than a house cat, lifted her sleek head and chittered softly at me. Already I took note of distinct behavioral traits not found in Xenomorphs. For one thing, and it was a damn good one for me, she wasn't attempting to burrow under my skin and eat me from the inside out. No. This phenotype, unlike her voracious and fearless brethren, was cautious, maybe even a little bit frightened.

A web of sinew covered the front half of her elongated head, obscuring a curious dissimilarity in its shape. The ichor still dripping from the torn strands masking her face was a strange dull oily indigo. A shade of blood that was unfamiliar to me which meant the host was probably an alien I'd never seen before.

My eyes briefly darted to the blood pool several feet beyond the baby, the bloody tracks from her feet, and the smears left behind from the removal of the dead host. My brows puckered. Why bother removing the carcass at all? Unless of course, that was a secret too.

Slowly, I took a seat on the floor, legs crossed and body relaxed. The baby's head followed the movement, indigo stained teeth exposed as she gave a tiny, wary cry. Like all Xenomorphs, she didn't have eyes, yet she saw me perfectly fine which meant she was still telepathic, but unlike other drones, her mind was free from the control of a Queen. I vaguely wondered how Wey-Yu managed to sever the link but I knew better than to ask. That kind of information would come at a price. And I didn't want to get so deep into Wey-Yu's secrets that I wouldn't be able to find my way out again.

But as I watched the baby Xeno lift herself up on distinctive and abnormal digitigrade hind legs and scent the air in my direction, I realized I was already in way too deep. No one could ever accuse a Xenomorph of being cute, but there was something unmistakably captivating about this one. Skittish. Unsure of her world. But still curious in that clumsy endearing way all infants are, naturally drawing out the nurturing side of adults.

I smirked and peeled off my lucky jacket, briefly exposing the slashing scars on my right arm as the long sleeve got caught. I quickly rolled it back down without looking at the disfiguring reminders of my past and slid the jacket across the floor. Unable to deny her chase instinct, the baby hissed and leaped onto the dark fraying fabric and proceeded to bite and tug and roll around in the material. I allowed myself a soft snort of humor as she thoroughly let the ragged jacket know who's boss, and I could no longer think of a single reason why this was a bad idea...

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 **A/N: Yes, I already know what you're all thinking... "AH! Werewolfbleu you're about to have a baby and you're starting a new story?! Are you nuts?! What about your other stories?!" Lol, honestly, I have no idea what I'm thinking. (Must be the hormones!) But I'm having fun doing it! ;) And yes, I am about to have a baby, so updating will be... um... difficult for awhile, but I will continue to do my best and update when I can. FYI this story is set in the same time period and loosely connected to my other story Deadly Curiosities.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Paying Charon**

The artificial environment beyond the viewing room was quiet and dark. Plunged into a pseudo night so black it reeked havoc on the human eye. I didn't care for the dramatic staging. You can run a million simulations, but the data would be vastly different in the real world where there are no controls or barriers to protect you.

I swayed from foot to foot, aware I was doing so but not caring in the least. What was the point of this? Okay, I understood the necessity of it. I just didn't like it. I felt like one of those assholes who fought dogs for money. After every test, I showered hoping to feel less slimy but never could wash away all of the guilt. Styx never complained though. She lived for the hunts and took great satisfaction in her kills. And why wouldn't she? She was a predator after all.

Still, I found it troubling that they'd only tested her intelligence and her ability to fight against other predators that weren't part of our targeted goal. The whole point of this project was meant to use Xenomorphs like Styx to aid in military ops back on Earth. Using her ability to track other Xenomorphs to there nests and work in tandem with soldiers to eliminate the Hives once and for all. Yet, so far none of her opponents have ever been other Xenomorphs. I've always suspected to some extent that the Company had a separate agenda and was keeping it well under wraps, but at this point, it appeared they were working a different angle entirely.

"Look there," Dr. Reid breathed.

I gave him a sidelong glance. The expression on his Kringle jovial face was a healthy mix of awe and nerves. An understandable reaction to the power just beyond the observation room's barrier. I followed Dr. Reid's line of sight and glimpsed a faint glittery blue trail before it disappeared into the gloom. Xenomorphs, no matter the phenotype, don't radiate heat. With the ability to regulate their body temp to match the ambient temperature of their environment, Xenomorphs can survive almost any climate or terrain including space. So the only way to track Styx, the Xenomorph I've spent the last year nurturing and rearing, was by attaching odorless identifiable markers down the slope of her skull, a couple of her dorsal tubes, and the barbed end of her tail. And the stripes of blue were only visible to us when the computer layered a filter over our wall to wall window into the enclosure. A good thing, otherwise we'd be giving away her position to the other predator that hadn't been released into the pen yet.

As my eyes adjusted to the stark gloom, eventually I could detect denser areas of black that were trees and other plant life. I stared for a long time until I heard Dr. Reid take in a sharp breath, then I saw her too. Hidden behind what I knew were dwarf burning bushes, Styx stared right back at us, though technically that should be impossible since the window was supposed to act as a two-way mirror. But there was no mistaking the fact she could _see_ us. Or rather, detect our brainwaves.

"And if thou gaze long into the abyss..." Dr. Reid began to whisper.

"... the abyss will gaze into thee." I finished for him.

Styx disappeared from sight once again, and Dr. Reid expelled the breath he'd been holding before turning to me with a stilted grin. "Do you think Nietzsche ever encountered a Xenomorph?"

"I doubt it," I said then pursed my lips in thought. "But I suppose anything is possible."

"The guy sure did have a grasp on the concept of evil."

"Styx isn't evil," I said turning my eyes back to the enclosure. "Nor is she a monster. She's a predator. And it's disturbing how often humans confuse the two." My voice dropped an octave, my mind drifting to a different time. "I've seen evil, Dr. Reid, and he didn't look like a Xenomorph." It wasn't until after the words were out of my mouth that I realized I'd said too much. Anxiety churned my stomach, and I felt sweat sprout at my hairline as a flush stained my face. What on earth had possessed me to say that?! "Sorry," I muttered, flicking an apologetic look his way.

Dr. Reid gave me a gentle smile and ignored my sudden discomfort. He'd gotten used to my quirky behavior and never commented on it which I loved him for. "No. You're right. Mans idea of what is good and what is evil has never been rational." He chuckled, "Though, I find it rather ironic that you chose to name her Styx. Isn't that the boundary between Earth and the Underworld?"

Shoving away the stupid urge to hide, I pressed my lips together in a sardonic smile. "Yes. It's the river of death." I nodded towards the enclosure and the danger hidden within. "I may not see Xenomorphs as monsters Dr. Ried, but most humans do, and Wey-Yu decided long ago to ignore the boundaries meant to protect us. If it weren't for their incessant need for power, Earth never would've been decimated by Xenomorphs. A creature who lived entire galaxies away. Ironic, isn't it?"

Dr. Reid's brow pinched, "No one ever expected that to happen."

I resisted the urge to snort. "No one ever does and therein lies the problem."

Dr. Reid opened his mouth to say more, only to close it as Aldridge and a well-dressed woman swept into the room. Aldridge looked like his usual self in a stylish dark grey suit and crisp white button down. His sandy blonde hair and bleached teeth were magazine quality. And it helped that he stayed fit to fill out those suits. His sharp blue eyes flicked to me momentarily before he turned and spoke to the woman beside him. She, on the other hand, had boring boardroom bureaucrat stamped all over her. Dressed in a no-nonsense black pencil skirt, cream silk shirt, and red pumps, she exuded business and money. The red pumps were almost the same shade as her hair which was pulled up in a bun so tight it was probably giving her a free facelift. She had hazel eyes and a heart-shaped face, and if not for the annoyed scowl on her face, she'd be a pretty forty-something woman.

I straightened to my full five and a half feet in an attempt to appear confident and relaxed, but failed at both and wilted under the woman's hard scrutiny. She said something to Aldridge, and the paranoid side of me thought I saw her lips form the words "Cold Heart" before the pair headed down the eight concrete steps to the main floor of the dismal, gray painted room. I tried not to wonder about their conversation or the glances shot my way as I went over the specs of this evenings test in my head. Even if they had been talking about me, it didn't matter. I was already painfully aware that one of the reasons Aldridge had hired me was because of my father. There weren't many people with enough clout to shake up a powerhouse company like Weyland-Yutani, but my father was one of them. And you don't get a nickname like Cold Heart by being a pushover or a nice guy. Though, in my personal opinion, he'd have to have a heart in the first place. And the only thing inside my father's chest was a frozen black pit.

Aldridge introduced Ms. Red Pumps to Dr. Reid first and the way Aldridge was acting made it obvious that he wanted to impress this woman. Dr. Reid smiled but the man wasn't good at being in the spotlight, and Ms. Red Pumps seemed to be giving him the third degree. Poor Dr. Reid appeared ready to stroke out by the time she was finished with her inquisition. I might've laughed at his frazzled expression had the pair not turned and headed my way. Ms. Red Pumps eyed me, no doubt unimpressed by my grungy black cargos or my lucky bomber jacket that most people assumed I stole off a homeless person. And when her eyes went to my hip length pink hair, I instantly became an eyesore to her.

I resisted the urge to fold my arms over my chest in defense. The woman was intimidating, but I refused to let her make me feel inferior. Or at least I tried. It was hard not to feel a little inferior when my brain stacked me against her. Despite the scowl on her face, she had a long slender neck, curves that could kill, and calves a cheetah would be envious of. I didn't have much in the way of curves. If men ogled my body, their eyes were in for a disappointing trip straight down to my feet. No hips. And while I was far from flat in the bust area, I didn't go out of my way to show it off or accentuate it.

"Blake," Aldridge began. "This is Elizabeth Shaw." He turned a charming smile on Ms. Shaw. "Ms. Shaw, this is-"

"Blake Kadrel," she finished for him, startling both of us. Ms. Shaw held out a hand to me. I took it, taking note of a rare blue diamond on her ring finger the size of the Hope Diamond. I was actually tempted to ask if it was the Hope Diamond when Mrs. Shaw spoke.

"So you're Rook Kadrel's daughter," she stated.

I stiffened. Pulling my hand away as casually as I could without appearing rude or like I was fleeing.

"It's nice to meet you," she continued. Though, her penetrating stare said otherwise. She didn't care about me one iota. What she did care about was my last name and who it was tied too. "Your father's support has been vital to this project."

Her words took me aback. I had no idea my father knew anything about this project. Nor could I see him caring about eradicating the Hives back on Earth. No profit in it.

For some reason, my eyes went to Dr. Reid. The man's face went sheet white, and he pointedly ignored my questioning glance. My stomach cramped up. If my father was involved, then I had to call everything I was doing here into question.

"My father? Huh, funny," My eyes skated over Aldridge and came to rest on Mrs. Shaw. "No one ever mentioned he shared an interest in this project. Wha-"

"Yes, well, your father's been instrumental in many of our projects," Aldridge interrupted. Casually dismissing my sudden interest and Mrs. Shaw's baffled expression. "Mrs. Shaw," he smiled warmly and gently touched her elbow, "I apologize, but we need to cut this conversation short. I need to go over a few of the adjustments we've made before starting the tests."

Scowling, Mrs. Shaw nodded and allowed Aldridge to shepherd her over to a bank of computers well out of earshot. I stared after them for a moment, took a step in their direction as if to follow then caught myself. Men tended to make me uncomfortable. And strong men like Aldridge made me nervous. Likely a confrontation with him would leave me shaky and possibly in need of excusing myself from the room entirely. Aldridge was a company man through and through, and my father's apparent involvement had been a secret. More than likely, the information was kept from me because he'd been worried I'd decline the job if I'd known. A year ago, I would've but now I was too invested, and I cared about what happened to Styx. Besides if I wanted the truth, there was a better person to ask. I'd grown comfortable enough around his gentle demeanor that I knew I could talk to him without wanting to spew my guts out.

Datapad in hand, I casually sidled up to Dr. Reid, pretending I needed to review something with him. The color had returned to his face, and he gave me a brittle smile as I pointed to an anatomical diagram of Styx on the screen.

"Who is she?" I whispered, highlighting the sensor nodes attached to Styx's exoskeleton for no reason other than to make it appear we were doing something.

Dr. Reid played along, though he looked like a man who wanted to be anywhere but here. "She's in charge of funding for this facility. If she doesn't like what she see's, then no more funding. Hence why Aldridge is doing everything but kissing her ass."

"No." My lips twitched, "I'm pretty sure he did that in the hall."

Dr. Reid chuckled, "Probably."

"So," My eyes slid away from his. "My father... he's-"

"No, Blake," he whispered harshly.

I tensed in surprise. Dr. Reid has never been short with me. I licked my lips, voice annoyingly insecure, "No what?"

"Just no."

Abruptly, and to my complete dismay, he walked away from me.

 _What are you doing?! Go after him! Demand an explanation!_

Even as I squared my shoulders to do just that I deflated in the same beat. Confronting Dr. Reid here would be unprofessional especially since we had an audience. And honestly, I shouldn't care why or how my father supported this project. It was probably just his way of keeping one eye on me and one on Wey-Yu's interests.

I exhaled an inaudible pessimistic chuckle. My DNA may be a familial match to the legendary Cold Heart, but the only thing I'd managed to inherit from the man was a name and all the baggage that came with it.

The anxiety that had tightened my chest earlier spun in a thick heavy ball of unrelenting discontent. I could work one on one with some of the deadliest predators in the galaxy, but I didn't have the backbone to confront Aldridge or even a man I considered to be my friend.

 _You're pathetic, Blake. No, really. Just pathetic. When are you gonna get over th-_

The lights in the room abruptly dimmed, drawing me out of my mental self-flogging. I glanced at the control station where Dr. Reid stood beside Mrs. Shaw and Aldridge, their collective attention on the enclosure. I did the same.

As a night vision filter gave more depth to the pen, I ignored the main screen and focused on my personal handheld. Even with the markers on Styx's exoskeleton, it was easier to follow her on the datapad via the sensor nodes. The nodes were a bright yellow on my screen, giving me critical information about her wellbeing and movements. It was also easier to spot her opponent as the gate in the very back of the pen opened, and the nodes attached to the unknown creature glowed a bright green.

I tapped on the new predator and downloaded the data from his nodes, giving me an anatomical workup and general makeup of the creature. Wey-Yu closely guarded the identity of some of the alien species used in these tests, often not revealing them to me until after all the data had been collected. Though, sometimes I remained in the dark. Wey-Yu really did love their secrets.

 _Strange... I've seen this creature somewhere..._

Styx's opponent was male, vaguely humanoid in skeletal structure, and possibly mammalian judging by the incredible amount of body heat radiating off him. Too hot to be any species I've ever studied. I peered into the enclosure, barely able to make out the green reflective stripes on the unknown predator's body. He appeared massive from where I stood, and the data available to me through the nodes only confirmed this. I glanced at the information streaming across the screen of the handheld and swallowed. He was 9ft tall, just a few inches shy of Styx's height when she stood on hind legs. However, Styx's digitigrade legs made it easier for her to move on all fours which cut her slim advantage in half. And then there was mass. A Xenomorphs exoskeleton is an almost impenetrable shield and its heavy. Styx weighed in at 420lbs, but this creature tipped the scales at 500lbs, and none of it was fat.

I bit the inside of my cheek. For the first time in a long time, I worried for Styx's safety. Out of 47 previous tests, Styx has never lost and rarely gotten hurt. And even when she did get injured, it was always minor. Yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that this other oddly familiar predator might actually do real harm to her.

My eyes flicked up as the fluorescent green of the predator's indicator stripes shimmered as he moved. Like Styx, the stripes were put in place so the human eye stood a better chance of tracking his movements. He had one long stripe down his broad back, one down each arm, and two across his muscular thighs.

I squinted. Trying to get a better look at him. I found the green filter of the night vision overlay confusing. It didn't do enough to distinguish features and he was still too far away. Fine. The nodes were information highways, and I needed more facts before my brain went off on a tangent.

The node attached to the chest would likely give me the most details. I touched the node on the screen, and a list of every system in the body unfolded in tiny gray boxes below it. I tapped on the circulatory system box and was rewarded with a glaring red "fuck you" Restricted Access warning. Huh. Weird. Wasn't I even permitted to inspect the functionality of his heart? Or how many chambers it had? They'd never denied me this much access before. So why now? More importantly, what did they not want me to know?

 _"Your father's support has been very vital to this project..."_

I blinked. I knew my father would never give these people a single dime so how had he "supported" this project? My father was a mercenary on top of running everything from drugs and money to being a dealer in the skin trade, trafficking both human and alien's alike.

 _Skin trade..._

I gulped. A disturbing chill crept through me as my eyes went back to the massive creature in the pen with Styx.

 _It can't be..._

Night vision or not, I couldn't get more than his general huge shape. And what I was really interested in was his head. My eyes jumped to the screen in my hands. But of course, the predator's facial attributes remained hidden because they'd purposely neglected to attach a node to his head. And now, I had a sickening theory as to why. My father had a reputation for being a cold-blooded bastard, but he had every right to that reputation. Because he'd done something no other human ever has-

A roar of rage tore through the enclosure. The sound so terrifying, my hand leaped to my mouth to smother a choked gasp. The predator tilted his head towards the observation room. The chill I'd experienced seconds ago froze into spinning razor blades of ice in my chest. Twin burning coals set in a broad face, shining brightly in a nightmarish kind of way thanks to the night vision filter, fixed on the two-way window. He couldn't see us. I knew this, and yet I couldn't shake the feeling he could _see_ us. Like Styx, the barrier might as well have been glass for all the good it did.

 _No... it can't be one of them... My father's good but he's not_ that _good... is he?_

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 **A/N: Omg! Is it? Isn't it?! What is it?! It can't be! Lol, what do you guys think it is? ;D Thanx for all those favs, follows, and reviews! Btw, I used Charon in the title. He is the ferryman a dead person pays in order to cross the River Styx.**

 **Tenfangirl: Lol, thanx! You always make me smile, Tenfangirl :) Glad you like what I have so far. And there's so much more to come! I've really wanted to delve into the life of a BadBlood for awhile, and I think this story gives me the perfect opportunity. Hehe, oh, but what in the world is in the pen with Styx?! Hmmm... we'll find out next time ;D I've got another two weeks or so of third-trimester hell, and I'm hoping to update again before the big day. Stay awesome, Tenfangirl!**

 **Guest 1: Ah, thanx for the compliment! Glad you enjoyed it. I'm actually surprised I got this chapter done so quickly, but I guess this story has me super excited!**

 **angel897: I do believe this one will contain a bit more drama compared to my other stories. I hope to keep you hooked! Thanx, angel! :)**

 **Guest 2: Eh, I've tried to write a story with the female being a Yautja and the male being a human but failed miserably at it. I have trouble writing from a males perspective or a female Yautja's. *shrugs* Maybe someday. Until then, I hope you'll enjoy my other work. Thanx for the review :)**

 **KTCameleon: Thanx, girl! Eee! I hope to keep you engaged XD**

 **Jessica the Insane: Sweet! That's my goal! XD Lol, glad you liked it.**

 **KyloRen'sgirl213: Ah, thank you! I'll do my best! :)**

 **KittyKatt25: Thanx so much for the review, KittyKatt. I think Blake's well on her way to seeing through Wey-Yu's scheme ;)**

 **Luna Silvereyes: Thanx, girl! I appreciate the love. And so does Blake! I'm hoping to keep surprising you ;)**

 **ZelloZii: Awe, thank you! For both the compliment and the congrats! Hope you enjoyed ch. 2 :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Cold Blooded**

 _No... it can't be one of them... My father's good but he's not_ that _good... is he?_

Rook "the Cold Heart" Kadrel, my father, was a man of myth and legend. A highly sought after mercenary for his revered hunting prowess. He's the only human to have ever fought a Yautja one on one and win. Twice. The first time, after being defeated, the Yautja performed a type of harakiri or honorable suicide by detonating a bomb big enough to completely obliterate himself and his technology. This ritual was one all Yautja carry out when defeat was imminent in order to keep humans from getting their hands on their tech and or avoid capture. Dead or alive, a Yautja would be worth a lot of money to the right buyer, namely Wey-Yu. This was what "supposedly" happened the second time a Yautja came to test my father's mettle. My father learned a great deal from his first encounter and relieved the second Yautja of his arm before he could trigger the explosive. Whether its true or not, I'm not sure, but what I do know is that that story gave my father a great deal of clout. And Weyland-Yutani wasn't the only company to seek out a contract with my father in the hopes he could deliver a live Yautja.

The whole thing made me sick to my stomach. The Yautja were sentient beings. And the capture and trade of a Yautja was just as bad as human trafficking. Although given the work I was doing here, I didn't have much of a soapbox to stand on. Styx may not be sentient, but she was _aware_.

"Aldridge this is ridiculous!" I heard Mrs. Shaw say. "I can't see a damn thing!"

The two were at the opposite end of the room in the midst of a quiet but fierce argument. Aldridge had a thing for the dramatics. He liked to keep the enclosure dark for its secrecy and theatrics. And then there were people in the room, myself included, who weren't permitted to know the identity of the other alien species in the pen. The Company's policies, which were clearly paranoia, often crippled their scientists and made our jobs a thousand times harder. However, considering the way Mrs. Shaw was making Aldridge sweat she wasn't someone to be bothered with things like policy. She may have even written some of them.

In a matter of seconds, it was obvious that Aldridge had lost the argument. Still managing a professional calm, Aldridge dismissed the two techs at the control console before having Dr. Reid take their place. After the techs left, Aldridge gave Dr. Reid the go-ahead to bring up the lights. I kept my eyes averted, thrilled that I'd been allowed to stay and hopeful that he hadn't just simply overlooked me.

Darkness brightened to an eventide inside the encloser, not optimal lighting but better. Styx remained in deeper shadow, illuding our curious eyes. But the other predator in the paddock either didn't sense the danger or didn't care.

I sucked in a breath. Not a Yautja. The relief I felt was so profound that I found myself leaning my hip against a console for support. The idea of Styx facing a Yautja had really scared me, maybe even more than the thought of my father capturing one.

Even so, the beast in the pen with Styx was one I'd only ever heard horror stories about. Not a Yautja but seeing a Howler for the first time was just as terrifying. To me at least. Having never a seen a Yautja either made the comparison kind of moot.

 _My god, he's massive..._

The Howler silently slipped through the trees, each paw the size of a dinner plate. His patchy coat was brownish red while the exposed skin had a grey cast to it. Howlers were the byproducts or failed specimens of a different project Wey-Yu conducted in an attempt to create mock werewolves. For the most part, this Howler appeared lupine and yet there were very disturbing traces that this being had once been a human. His dark eyes, though wild and gleaming with madness when they caught the light, were human and they made me shiver.

"... and the Xenomorph has been trained to kill on command?"

"Yes, ma'am," Aldridge assured Mrs. Shaw. "But it's not necessary for this test."

"I thought that was the point? To ensure we had full control over these aliens." Mrs. Shaw went on.

"We do. But in order to run that scenario, Blake would have to be in the pen as well. And there's no ne-"

"Then why isn't she?"

At this, I stiffened, suddenly wishing I'd been excused with the techs. The weight of Mrs. Shaw's gaze fell on me, and I fought to make it appear as though I hadn't been listening. The thought of being trapped inside that pen with a Howler had me breaking out in a cold sweat. Styx would protect me, but it didn't diminish the fear one bit. Howlers were for a lack of a better term batshit insane. They'd been named Howler's because every subject had gone mad. No. No _way_ was I getting in that pen.

In my periphery, I watched as Aldridge leaned in and whispered something in Mrs. Crazypants's ear. Gaze still on me, Mrs. Shaw's face pinched like she'd eaten something sour, but to my surprise and relief she conceded with a nod and looked away. I have no idea what Aldridge said but if I had to guess I'd say my father's name had been brought up. As much as I loathed my last name, it did save my bacon from time to time.

I sighed and might've even slightly sagged as my attention went back to the window. I caught a glimpse of Styx or at least I'm pretty sure I did. The shadows can play tricks on the eye.

The Howler tensed which in turn caused everyone observing him to tense. His huge wolfish muzzle lifted to scent the air and the room went still as we all waited with baited breath. I hated this part of the job, but there was no denying the heart-pounding suspense. The anticipation of an attack. You knew it was coming but it always ca-

Styx shrieked. There was a blur of movement accompanied by a roar of pain and rage from the Howler, and I stared in shock at Styx's barbed tail protruding from his chest. She crawled out of the shadows like a wraith. Her jaws open and lips quivering up over her exposed silvery teeth as she hissed in the Howler's face.

 _You're so fast Styx._

I was stuck somewhere between awe and horror of the Xenomorph I'd raised. But the wonder quickly faded as the Howler opened his maw and snarled. Unconcerned with his very life bleeding in thick ribbons down his chest, the Howler twisted and sank his teeth into her smooth carapace, and I flinched at the cracking sound.

My breath got lodged in my throat, and I inadvertently took a step towards the window. Howler's shared parts of their DNA with Xenomorphs. His jaws were equipped to handle a Xenomorphs tough exoskeleton. And I watched in horror as Styx's acidic yellow blood welled up and poured from the wound. She shrieked and flung him away.

 _Styx!_

Styx attacked again, slashing at the Howler with the two scythe-like horns on the sides of her elongated skull. The Howler roared and raked a clawed hand down her head. Styx shrieked and reared up on hind legs, the two titans grappled with one another; pushing and shoving; clawing and biting. Styx's tail encircled his middle, and she restrained him, yanking him close. The Howler opened his maw and- a crunch of bone; blood spurt from his forehead. I blinked, and it took me a second to understand. My mouth formed an 'O' of shock. Styx's inner jaws had flashed out lightning quick and bore into the Howler's skull.

The fight was over. Shrieking in satisfaction, Styx released the Howler, and his body slipped to the ground in a heap. Styx leaned over her kill, looked straight at the observation room, and gave a low hiss.

I turned away from the window, uninterested in watching Styx feast on her prize.

"Fascinating," Mrs. Shaw said her eyes still riveted on Styx.

 _Fascinating..._

I bit my lip and looked from Mrs. Shaw's engrossed expression to Aldridge's pleased one. For some reason, their approval only made me uneasy, and I suddenly found myself thinking about my father's involvement again.

 _If he's involved..._ I closed my eyes as a wave of anxiety flooded me with cold dread. _Oh god, what have I really been doing here?..._

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the wait! Yes, I know it's short, but I'm a little busy these days between taking care of a two month old and catching some Z's. :) This story connects with a couple of my others. Howlers are part of my other story Dances with Werewolves and Kadrel also plays the villain in Baby Rex Adopts a Predator. And here you all thought it would be a Yautja in that pen :0 Lol, no worries that bad boy Yautja will make his entrance soon ;) Thanks for the love.**

 **angel897: Thanx angel! XD**

 **KTCameleon: Awe thanks, girl! Lol, Styx may not have gone running to mommy but she does love her to pieces ;) Were you surprised that I used a Howler?**

 **Guest: (Guest 2 from the previous chapter) I'll look into Dark Waters. And thank you so much for the compliment! I try really hard not to allow my characters personalities and behaviors to overlap. I really appreciate the feedback. Thanx! :)**

 **Tenfangirl: Hello, lovely! By the way, in response to your question from my other story, I had a baby girl! So busy busy busy! XD Thanxs for the love! Stay beautiful!**

 **Guest 2: Yeah, Blake's father is the evil scoundrel in two of my stories! This one and Baby Rex Adopts a Predator! But anyway, I'm so thrilled you like it! Thanks!**

 **Akari Wolf Princess: Lol, sweet! (Does a happy dance!) I'm thrilled to bits that you like this story too! Thanks for all the love, Akari!**

 **Guest 3: Thanx! You're awesome too!**

 **TehFriendlyXeno: So what did you think?! Did you like?! Oh, I hope so! Thanx for the love! :D**

 **Gilyflower: Thanx! I loved that movie! Hope to keep you interested! Thanks for the review! :)**

 **OptimusPoptart24: Okay, first off, your name is awesome! XD I'm doing great! Had my baby so life's pretty hectic. Thank you so much for the love! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Cold Heart**

Family memories should incite feelings of happiness and contentment. It should leave you smiling stupidly when you think of the first time you baked cookies with your mom or when your dad taught you to ride a bike. But for me, there were no sweet moments or fuzzy fondness. By the time I was five, I saw my father's second Alec more than I saw either of my parents. When I was six, I watched my father beat a man to death for insubordination. And when I was eight, my father talked to me at length about the _family business_ and where my place would be.

So as I trudged my way from the observation room to my quarters, I did so with the weight of those soul-sucking years gnawing away at my insides. I had reservations about this job from the very beginning, but learning of dear dad's involvement turned those little niggling doubts into open festering wounds. And with my mind so wrapped up in worry, I barely noticed where my feet were taking me until I plowed right into a solid wall of muscle.

"Damn, Pinkette." A familiar feminine voice chuckled. Hands braced my shoulders, and a surge of heat crept up my neck. "Were you coming to see me?" she continued. I shuddered, wishing I'd been paying more attention to where I'd been going.

Zeta, one of the security personnel, held me uncomfortably close. I remained immobile, unsure what to do. Normally, I do okay around other women, but Zeta had more testosterone than most men. She was a handsome woman with high cheekbones and thick black hair however her aggressive advances always left me frazzled. And she made sure her intentions towards me were perfectly clear every time we crossed paths. And the pet names! My _god_ , the pet names were insufferable!

"I'm off duty in an hour." She pulled away and touched my chin. "We should grab a late dinner."

"I, uh," I stumbled over the words. Another person might've found Zeta's advances flattering but not me. It had nothing to do with sexual preference either, I just... I just didn't think about things like romance. Allowing people to get close was always a mistake.

Old memories, the kind you wished would stay dead and buried, surfaced. And I ran my hands over my scar-riddled arms and shivered.

Zeta misread my reaction. Mistaking it for one of pleasure I think. She laughed, and her thumb traced the scar along my jaw up to my ear.

It was too much. The familiar sting of vulnerability prickled my skin, and I jerked away. "Please stop that," I said anxiety making my voice pitchy. "I'm sorry, Zeta, but I-"

She seized my hand before I could flee. "Ah, Pink-Tink, you're so wound up." Her tone dropped an octave, "Lemme help you rela-"

Zeta paused midsentence, her eyes narrowing. My heart thumped at the sudden change in her demeanor. But after a nervous second or two, I noticed the absence of focus. Her gaze was distant, and her head tilted as if she were... I exhaled a silent breath through my nose in understanding. Zeta, like all security personnel, has a comm implanted in the base of her ear. And she confirmed this by absently nodding as she listened.

"Shit," she silently growled. After another beat, she released me and her hand went to the automatic weapon strapped to her thigh. "Lock it down!" she said tersely, and to my utter surprise she turned and sprinted in the opposite direction without so much as a backward glance.

 _Okay... weird._

Grateful for whatever issue had warranted Zeta's attention, I all but ran back to my quarters. Most security matters involved someone forgetting their badge which wouldn't take long to resolve. And unless I wanted an encore of our encounter, I needed to make myself scarce.

...

Back in my cell, I shed my bomber jacket and prepped a kettle. I eyed the tiny grey scaled flat I'd been assigned in distaste thinking for the umpteenth time how a plant or a painting might bring it some life only to talk myself out of it. I've never thought of this place as a home, this facility felt more like a prison, which made Aldridge and Zeta my jailers. And no plastic ficus or splash of color could ever change that perspective.

 _Home..._

I rolled my eyes when my father's unexpressive face came to mind. The man never smiled... actually, that wasn't entirely true. Once when I was ten, I peeked into my parent's room and watched as my father embraced my mother with an expression of pure contentment. And I remember thinking how much I wished he would look at me that way. He loved my mother deeply. And that's when I learned that no matter how hard I tried there was simply no room in his heart for anyone else.

Out of reflex, my fingers traced the ugly permanent reminders of my past. The scars were years old and yet I felt a fresh wash of pain every time I touched them.

 _Just a chess piece..._

The beckoning whistle of the kettle broke me from the downward spiral of my thoughts. I blinked noticing that while my mind had been absent, Styx had returned to her enclosure and was watching me through the crystal polymer wall that we shared. My insides jumped at her sudden appearance, a reaction I've somewhat managed to tame but not completely overcome. Xenomorphs are formidable stealth hunters. Though, I have noticed many of the young ones lack the discipline and tend to eagerly attack without forethought. Styx was this way too in the beginning. But she learned very quickly that not all prey could be taken down with speed alone.

I smiled at her, an expression I'm not sure she perceived through telepathy, but Styx always seemed to understand when I was happy to see her. Styx didn't wag her tail like a dog or anything, nor could I describe how I knew this other than I could sense it. Arching her spine, Styx stretched herself out and laid herself against the barrier separating us and patiently waited for me.

I took the hint and quickly poured the steaming water over some loose leaf tea. Mug in hand, I exited through the safety door connecting Styx's encloser to my cell.

Styx's head followed me, but otherwise, the Xenomorph didn't bother getting up. I sat down with my back pressed into the wall and rested my hand on her sloping skull. Her tail flicked once then curled at her side.

"I was worried about you today," I said while examining the bite wound in her carapace. I took care not to accidentally touch it because unlike the Howler, I didn't have a natural immunity to her acidic blood.

Styx exhaled and rested her jaw on my knee, her drool quickly soaking my pants. Xenomorphs tend to drool worse than St. Bernards do. But I didn't mind.

As I sat there with her, my thoughts returned to the unavoidable questions floating around inside my head. My eyes roved over the length of her powerful body, then away. I looked out across the lush greenery of Styx's pen and saw none of it.

 _Dad would never lift a finger to help with the war back on Earth. He makes to much money selling the tech needed to combat the Hives plaguing it._ I took an absent sip of tea but set it aside when the warmth did nothing to take the edge off the cold spreading inside my chest. _But then why would he get involved in a project where Xeno's could be trained to track and kill other Xeno's?_ The answer was obvious. He wouldn't. And I had a stomach-churning suspicion that I was being played.

"Styx..."

Styx lifted her head and her warm breath fanned my face.

"What do I do?" Even as I asked, I knew the answer. Styx's jaws opened with a low hiss. I gave her a weak smile, "I'll need to borrow some of your strength, my friend."

Closing my eyes, I leaned in and touched my forehead to the rounded dome of her still open maw. I had to protect her. I had to protect my family, my home. And I was so lost in the minefield of my thoughts that I barely registered the sudden jerk of Styx's head before she gave a low startling hiss.

"What is it, girl?" I asked thoroughly freaked. My gaze darted around the encloser, but I didn't see anything. Then again, I probably wouldn't see anything.

Styx scented the air and after a tense moment laid her head back down. Whatever she'd sensed must've passed otherwise she wouldn't've settled. I frowned. But if that were true then why was she still ready to leap into action?

* * *

 **A/N: Yes, I know it was a painfully short chapter but I'm just happy I was able to post something this week. And uh-oh, I wonder what's gonna happen next! ;) I can hardly wait! Thanx for the love!**

 **Tenfangirl: Lmao! I know right! I seriously tried to decorate her room with alien and predator stuff but my husband kept whining at me. He's no fun. But I bought her a couple of alien and predator stuffies ;) And I can hardly believe how big she's gotten already! Anyway, thanx, Tenfangirl! Much love to you and yours! :)**

 **KTCameleon: Ah, I didn't mean to bum you out. But I'm glad I can still surprise you. Thanx, KT! :)**

 **angel897: No doubt about it! Big trouble! Thanx, angel :)**

 **hellfire45: Thanx! There wasn't too much interaction between Styx and Blake this chapter. But Styx is definitely not the average Xeno. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Bed of Nails**

 _This is so_ not _going to work!_

Originally I'd planned on confronting Dr. Reid first thing in the morning, however, Styx's strange state of agitation unsettled me more than I'd already been. And no matter how hard I tried sleep alluded me. Besides I had to know the truth. I couldn't wait until daybreak for answers.

So in the middle of the bloody night, I found myself standing outside Dr. Reid's lab swaying back and forth with hesitation as the anxiety over the inevitable confrontation I was about to have, gave me a stomachache. And the two and a half cups of black tea I'd downed to settle my nerves were working against me. The caffeine turned my jitters into full-blown shakes. I rung my hands as I fidgeted outside the door to the lab, praying no one would step out while I worked up the courage to go in.

 _Now Blake, if you don't go in, you'll never figure out what dad is up too._ I nodded to myself, held up my security badge and... _But what if Dr. Reid refuses to tell me?! What then?!_

As I grappled with indecision, an absurd image of my father and Styx invaded my mind. Heavy chains were looped around my father's arms, a cruel smile upon his face as Styx fought the leash. Like I said it was an absurd image, but at the same time, the implication was not lost on me.

I took a deep breath and refortified my resolve.

 _For Styx._

The lock clicked open with a soft beep as I swiped my badge over the sensor. Ignoring the nauseating butterflies in my stomach, I stepped into the room and tried hard not to feel trapped as the door silently slid closed and locked behind me. Part of me had hoped Dr. Reid would be in bed, and I would be forced to wait anyway but the good doctor with his trademark red sweater and gold-rimmed glasses, glanced my way upon entering.

"Blake? Burning the midnight oil?" he asked the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled at me. The tiny bit of moxie I'd managed to muster up, escaped in a whooshing sigh, leaving me hunched over and feeling small. Really who could have a confrontation with Santa? It was impossible!

"Blake?"

 _Snap out of it! Bad things are brewing!_

"Dr. Reid, I... I," my brain flatlined.

 _God, you're so stupid, Blake..._

Dr. Reid, bless him, had become accustomed to my wet paper backbone and he approached me slowly as if he were trying not to spook an already startled wild animal. "Blake," he repeated, his voice gentle and calm. Then he did something I absolutely did not expect and embraced me. I stiffened. Heart in my throat. Dr. Reid was well aware of my boundaries... or at least, I thought he'd been.

My eyes darted around. I wasn't sure what to do.

"Blake," he whispered. "The walls have eyes and ears."

Confusion delayed the impending panic attack. What was that supposed to mean? I swallowed the urge shove him away and forced myself to give a subtle nod, letting him know I was listening.

He turned my left palm over, clasping it tightly when my kneejerk reaction was to pull away. "I was hoping you'd stop by. I need to run a few test scenarios by you," he said aloud, a strange inflection to his voice. The only other person in the room was Howard, one of Dr. Reid's techs. An android who had the sweetest southern twang that helped offset his surly disposition.

I glanced at Howard. The tech's dark eyes were glued to the work in front of him, his face mostly obscured by chin-length black hair. I didn't know Howard all that well, but I didn't think he honestly cared about the other warm bodies in the room. And while I've only spoken with him a hand full of times, our dialog was always short and to the point. So even though Dr. Reid seemed to be trying to veil our conversation, I honestly didn't think Howard cared. And I was pretty sure he'd already tuned us out.

"Blake, once you learn the truth about something you can't unlearn it," he whispered gravely. Dr. Reid couldn't see my wide-eyed expression. How had he known? Was I really that transparent? "Blake-" Still holding my hand, he forced my fingers open. "-I'd say the only reason I'm doing this is that you're my friend, only that wouldn't be truthful. After Styx's test, I found out through Mrs. Shaw that you and I have been working under false pretenses. Whether she was aware of the slip up I'm not sure but it doesn't really matter because either way, Aldridge lied to us." As he spoke, he started running his thumb over my palm. The gentle action wasn't sexual in any way, meant to soothe, I think. It didn't help.

"Now, I'll ask you this only once. Are you sure?"

My palms were sweating which was embarrassing given Dr. Reid's continued contact. Unable to find my voice, I gave another tiny bob of my head.

"The Company is never content," the words hissed through his clenched teeth. "It is a ravenous, greedy entity." Dr. Reid paused, collecting himself even as the anger turned the natural rosy hue of his cheeks a rudy purplish-red. "The Company took out a contract with your fa- "the Cold Heart" to capture a Yautja. A _live_ Yautja. Not just the burnt bits and pieces they've managed to collect. Blake-" His hands went to my shoulders. "-he orchestrated this, all of this! Everything we've done here, none of it was to help our comrades. Your father aims to use the Yautjas' greatest prey as his greatest weapon."

Now, it made sense. Every question, every doubt, every suspicion I ever had about this project bubbled in my mind. Aldridge's constant need for assurance that Styx would obey me. The almost weekly battle scenarios, each time with a different predator and each one usually bigger and meaner than the previous. All of it. It all made perfect, twisted sense.

"Oh... god," I breathed. "What have we done? What have I done?!" I felt myself unraveling. All of my worst fears and ignorances were coming back to unravel my life in the most ruthless way possible. And only the gentle pressure of Dr. Reid's grip on my shoulders kept me grounded. As I saw his eyes dart to Howard, a thought occurred to me. And my throat tightened around a knot of sheer panic. "Dr. Reid," I swallowed convulsively. "Was I one of the conditions?"

Tension wound through Dr. Reid, his fingers digging into my shoulders. He hung his head between us, "Yes. But only after the previous attempts."

"What attempts?" The lump in my throat felt like a ball of brittle glass.

"Styx isn't the first xenomorph of her phenotype. She's the fourth. However, where you succeeded the other three handlers failed." His face pinched, "Although no one is sure why that is."

"You lied to me," I croaked.

Dr. Reid winced at the sting of betrayal in my voice. "Yes. At the time I was following orders. But I've never lied to you about anything else."

I heard the sincerity in his words, but it did nothing to quell the hurt. He thought I was upset because he'd lied to me, and I was, but what he revealed was so much worse. "Handlers..." I had to take a breath. "What happened to the other handlers?" I already knew. I just wanted him to say it.

"Eaten," he quietly confirmed. Dr. Reid avoided my eyes, pressed something into my palm, then abruptly pushed away before I could say anything more. A strange smile tightened the corners of his mouth as he turned to the tech. "Howard, my boy," he called cheerily as if the last four minutes had never happened. "I'm starving, and you owe me lunch."

Howard didn't even bother looking our way. "It's almost one in the morning," he deadpanned.

Dr. Reid smacked the surly tech's shoulder. "Oh, come on. Live a little. Have you ever put brandy on top of pancakes? It's delicious."

Howard's dark eyes cut to me as Dr. Reid proceeded to drag him out of his chair by the collar of his white coat. The tech wasn't stupid. He saw right through the good doctor's deception. Neither of us was exactly sure why Dr. Reid was being so persistent about vacating the room, but Howard simply shrugged Dr. Reid's hand off and exited the room ahead of him.

I stared at the door for several minutes after it closed behind them, Dr. Reid's badge was in my hand. He'd given me the magic key, and with it, I could open any door, and in theory access any terminal. And yet, the little metal card carried the weight of a loaded gun. But there had obviously been something Dr. Reid wanted me to see, otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered to give it to me. So if I used it, there was a good chance Aldridge would be alerted. At which point, I would likely be only left with two option, either I figure a way off this rock with Styx or I get in line with The Company's asinine plan. Of course, there was a third option, and this one really made my gut churn, if I couldn't escape and refused to "see the light" as it were, Aldridge would turn me over to my father. Let him deal with me since Wey-Yu wouldn't cross him. Or at least, I had to hope they wouldn't.

No way was I going to put myself or Styx in a Yautja's crosshairs. I've heard way too many stories of either brave or foolhardy men and women getting skinned alive and their skulls taken. And Styx would likely die, not because she wasn't strong enough, but because she would be to busy trying to keep me safe. As the old saying goes, you're only as strong as your weakest link. So really there was only one path for me to take.

I ran to Howard's terminal, waved Dr. Reid's card in front of it when a lock symbol popped up and started searching before the anxiety could paralyze me. Unfortunately, regardless of the ID badge, Howard's terminal didn't have full access. So after a little digging, I found where I needed to go to get what I wanted (or at least, what I assumed Dr. Reid wanted me to find) then left the lab.

"Move dammit!"

Outside in the hall, I was nearly trampled by three security personnel charging down the corridor. I pressed myself against the wall as they ran past. While my mind wondered what their hurry was, my feet were already moving in the opposite direction.

 _That seems like a bit of an overreaction for a protocol discrepancy..._

Two floors down, and after getting turned around a couple of times, I finally found what I was looking for. I waved Dr. Reid's badge over the reader and holoprojection of a keypad winked in the air in front of me.

My eyes bugged.

 _A passcode? Dr. Reid didn't give me a... wait a minute!_

I remembered the weird pattern he kept tracing into my palm over and over.

 _Ha! It wasn't random!_

After wracking my brain, and two tries, the door finally opened.

 _Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate..._

A coldness settled itself in my chest. I was terrified. Seeing wouldn't change a thing, but human nature and all that. I took a deep breath, "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here..." And I stepped through the gates of hell.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello, lovelies! Sorry for the wait! My 3 month old takes up a big chunk of time ;P**

 **hellfire45: Thanx! Xeno's are always the nasty bad guys, so I thought it would be fun to give them a little love. So, I created Styx :)**

 **angel897: Thanx! You're awesome, angel!**

 **KTCameleon: Yay, I think I was feeling a bit nostalgic too when I decided to write this story. Thanx for the love! :)**

 **Tenfangirl: Lol, no worries. Baby girl is still sleeping like a dream (At night. Naps are a bit of a problem.), so I've had some time to write and rest ;) Thank you so much, Tenfangirl! YOU. ARE. AWESOME! XD**

 **soundwave7788: Thanx! I'll keep plugging away XD**

 **ZelloZii: Lol, hope you enjoyed the update, ZelloZii! Thanx for the love!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Inferno**

The encloser beyond the sixteen-inch crystal polymer barrier was empty. Aside from the window, it was a metal box. Thick steel walls from top to bottom, no shrubbery to even mimic a faux environment like Styx's pen. Captivity wasn't easy on any animal, and in these conditions, it was no wonder the walls had taken a brutal beating from its inhabitants. Slash marks and old blood told a harrowing tale of abysmal treatment of the xenomorphs I presumed it once held. Man-eaters or not, had I known about this, I would've at least tried to put a stop to it.

 _And they wonder why their handlers got eaten._

I shook my head in disgust. I'd designed Styx's encloser and purposely had it placed right up against my quarters. If you wanted a predators respect, then you better damn well pay it forward. Not that that would stop a xeno from eating you, but you can't really hold that against them. They're just doing what predators do.

"Mother," I called as I headed for the terminal. MU-TH-UR 7000, Wey-Yu's standard AI on ever base and ship, might have more answers regarding the fate of Styx's sisters. "What happened to the Xenomorphs in pen..." I double checked the number on the monitor. "...56?"

 _Fifty-six? This facility isn't that big... is it?_

"That information is not available. Security measures B-7 in place."

"In other words, they don't want what's happening being documented," I paraphrased. Mother didn't respond. "Fine," I said with a sigh of aggravation. I pulled up the Focal Facilities blueprints. After counting all of the enclosers, I stared at the layout in mounting confusion. Why call it pen 56 if there were only 7 on the map?

"Mother, can you tell how many xenomorphs are on this station?"

"That information is not available."

"Alright, can you give me a head count of every living thing on this rock that isn't human?"

"There are currently two hundred and forty-eight lifeforms."

I gulped, "Uh, would any of those happen to be space rats?"

"Negative."

I broke out in a cold sweat. How could there possibly be so many? "Mother, of the two hundred and forty-eight lifeforms, how many aren't xenomorphs?"

"Two hundred and twenty-nine lifeforms."

 _Great. Aside from Styx and her three sisters, that leaves fifteen unaccounted for. Fifteen! Dear god, I hope they're not xenomorphs._

Feeling more than a little sick, I forced myself to keep digging. This information was... well, unsettling didn't quite cover it. I spent a few more minutes staring at the blueprints until I finally noticed a little holo image of a key in the corner. Curious, I waved Dr. Reid's credentials in front of the monitor and the blueprints changed. I brought it up on the holoprojector and took a step back in shock. The Focal Facility sat on the surface of a planetoid, but below it was a system of rooms and tunnels like an anthill.

"Wow... you are really, really stupid, Blake..."

 _Is this what Dr. Reid wanted me to see?_

As bad as this was, I had an ugly suspicion whatever he wanted me to see was worse. And besides, the facility itself wasn't what my father cared about. It was the project. _My_ project. I needed to pull all the data on what Dr. Reid and I had been working on.

 _Under false pretenses, he'd said... Dad plans on using Styx and her sisters to hunt the Yautja but to what end? For their tech? For sport? To take them apart piece by piece-_

An alarm blared, making me jump. The lights went out plunging the room and the steel box in darkness. A second later the glow of the emergency lights running along the walls bathed everything a deep ominous red.

"Warning. Security breach. All security personnel to sub-level 3 and the south hanger." Mother announced over the PA. She repeated it several times as I stared wide-eyed at the cage beyond.

 _It's empty, remember? It's empty. Don't panic. It's empty._

I tried to swallow, but my heart was blocking my airway. In all my years working as a handler, the hardest lesson I learned was when you _think_ you're alone, chances are you're really not. And if there's one thing predators are really good at, it's making their prey _think_ they're safe up until the moment they strike.

 _A very hard lesson..._

I shivered. Rubbed my arms reflexively. I warded off the intrusive memory, leaned over the terminal and typed as fast as my clumsy fingers could manage. I searched for all things related to my work and found myself falling down a rabbit hole, and when I finally slammed into the rock bed below, I unearthed a single folder titled: Longevity Project.

 _This is it!_ My gut practically screamed. I clicked on it. Swore when a lock symbol blocked my way then frantically waved Dr. Reid's magic key at it.

"Holy... mother of..." So I was half right. They needed a live Yuatja to take apart piece by piece (shivers). It's no secret that the Yautja are longlived. And the quick, dirty rundown was that Wey-Yu discovered a Yautja's blood, may very well be the proverbial fountain of youth. I continued reading. And it just kept getting worse. These plans were barbaric!

"This is... this is- god! There's not even an expletive for how sick this is! Of course, dad wou-" My rant ended in a scream as one of Styx's sisters suddenly slammed against the barrier. I fell to the floor, terror making me dizzy as the xeno hissed and slammed the barrier again. The glow of the red emergency lights gave her a demonic edge. As if her exoskeleton had been dipped in... "Oh... god..." It was blood.

"Styx!" I screamed. Scrambling to my feet, I tripped several times as I raced for the door. "Come on! Come on! Come on!" The door wasn't opening then I remembered we were on backup power. The xenomorph shrieked and bodily slammed the barrier over and over and over until I was certain I heard something crack but I didn't dare look. It took me a minute to open the heavy door manually. A very precious minute. And with the sound of Styx's sister spurring me on, I got the stupid thing open about a foot before squeezing through it.

Pain lanced my side, I hit the wall and crumbled, choking as my cry got lodged in my windpipe. A hiss. The hairs at the nape of my neck sprung, and I barely dodged the second strike of a xeno's powerful tail. It hurt to breathe. Sharp pain in my ribs punctuated my wheezing breaths as I stared up at another one of Styx's sister's. Her saliva dripped on my neck. I know what's coming next. A hurricane of emotion storms inside me; cold dread, peace, paralyzing fear, even happiness. Death doesn't scare me. It's liberating. It means I won't have to live in fear anymore. I've been ready for a long time, and given my career path and being the daughter of the "Cold Heart", it's rather ironic that I haven't kissed the stars yet.

 _Nononono! Styx needs me! I can't leave her!_

Styx... too late I realize I can't die yet.

Lips quivering, spittling stringing from her teeth, the xenomorphs jaws open with a hiss. I see the inner jaws, saw Death literally staring me in the face, and-

Gunfire. My ears ring from the deafening sound. Shrieking, the xenomorph tosses her head back. Someone grabs the collar of my jacket and jerks me up. I scramble to my feet.

"Go!"

Zeta. Her forceful shove sends me stumbling down the opposite end of the hall.

"Zeta!" She ignores me. My breath catches at the sight of the blood darkening her uniform shirt from blue to a deep purplish-black. Zeta glances back at me, a flap of skin hanging from her forehead over an empty eyesocket; white fluid streaks her face and neck.

 _An android?!_

I'm so stumped by this discovery that for a nanosecond I forget I'm standing in the middle of the corridor with a xenomorph eager to turn the tables on her captors. But the enraged snarls of both combatants snaps me back to reality.

"Pinkette, go now!" Zeta roars at me while grappling with the xeno. No human could go hand to hand with a xeno, but androids are incredibly strong. "Run! I got this bitch!"

"Zeta-" The xeno's tail spears Zeta through the abdomen and the androids gasping breath was the last thing I heard before I started running. _You're such a coward!_ Tears stung my eyes. _You just left her there!_ But really, what could I have done? If an android was no match then I definitely wasn't one either. She gave me a chance to survive. And Styx. Styx was still trapped in her pen. I had to free her too. I told myself this over and over, but even if it was true, I knew I'd carry the guilt forever. "Thank you, Zeta..."

The red running lights along the walls were starting to blink as I made it back to my floor. If the backups went, then so would the atmospheric regulators which controlled the faux gravity, heaters, and the oxy scrubbers. In other words, if the xenos didn't get you eventually the CO2 buildup would, or you'd freeze to death.

 _Not good! Definitely not good! Just get to Styx!_

A hiss came from behind me. I looked down the corridor I just came from and saw only darkness then squealed as I tripped over something. I landed hard on my hands and knees. Warmth dampening my pant legs were my knees touch the floor. I turn over and in the eerie glow of the emergency lighting, a body lay sprawled in a pool of dark liquid. My hand flies to my mouth to muffle a scream of horror. It was Dr. Reid. I tried very hard not to see the blood or acknowledge that I was covered in it because if I did, I would shatter into a million pieces and would be of no use to Styx.

 _Fresh kill..._

Somewhere in the back of mind, the gears were still turning; still connecting precious bits of information. The blood was still warm. A coldness prickles my skin. Slowly, my wide eyes lift from the body, and I notice a void in the tiny red lights. It moves.

"Shit..."

A low hiss.

"Shit!" I slipped in the pool of blood. "Shit! Shit!"

The xeno charges with a shriek from the other end of the hall. I'm on my feet. The door to my room stands open by several inches, dark smears of blood staining it. Dr. Reid must've come looking for me when the alarms went off.

The xeno shrieks. I scream and throw myself at the gap. My jacket tears as I barely escape the xeno's lethal claws. Spittle hits my face as she snarls and fiercely slashes at me through the small opening. The dura-steel door is several inches thick, Aldridge had it put in place since Styx's pen connected to my room. It's tough but it won't hold her for long.

"Styx!"

She was already at the safety hatch, pacing back and forth, her tail lashing. Luckily, safety doors are connected to the backup gens. Xeno's are notorious cage breakers, and it was only a matter of time until they figured a way out or someone got sloppy, but at least all the other predators were still in there cages. Hopefully.

I flashed my badge, input my code, and at the same moment I heard the hiss of the pressure releasing, Styx's sister broke the door inward with a whining shriek of tearing metal.

"Styx!" Screaming, I collapsed to my knees and huddled into a ball. The hatch bangs open. Enraged hissing and snarling echoes off the walls of the tiny studio. Styx's warm breath fans the back of my neck, rustling my hair. The sudden utter stillness of the room brings my head up. Styx's sister stands on top of the ruined door, her tail lazily flicking in an annoyed manner. I lean back, and my spine aligns with one of Styx's forearms. Her muzzle appears in my periphery, her lips quivering in a quiet warning hiss meant for her sister. Taking controlled breaths, and making sure not to move too quickly, I shift closer to Styx. The other xeno hisses, her foreclaws doing a kind of anxious dance. It's obvious she's confused by Styx's defensive posturing. I guess I would be confused too if one of my own was protecting food as if it were her offspring.

Styx's sister mock charged, and Styx shifted into a standing position on hind legs behind me and snarled. The other xeno mimicked her, standing on her hind paws and snarling even as she took several steps back into the hall. Styx chittered at her sister, and her sister bared her teeth, but to my shock, she inclined her head towards me, hissed, then disappeared. I was so fascinated by the whole experience that I let out a startled yip of fright when Styx nudged me.

Mindful of the scythe-like horns on either side of her head, I wrapped an arm around her in a quick but fierce hug. "We've got to get out of here."

I try to stand, but my bruised ribs scream in pain, reminding me of the brief brush with Death in the corridor. Cold sweat trickles from my dampened hair down my neck and back. If I can't run, then I'll only get in the way. Sensing my distress, Styx urges me to hold onto one of her dorsal tubes by leaning into my shoulder.

"No rush," I say with a humorless chuckle. "We're only going to die if I can't keep up."

Styx hissed. Guess she didn't find my bleak humor funny.

"Come on. Let's get to the hanger before any more of your relatives decide to pop in for a visit."

...

Remembering Mother's words, we avoided the south hanger which left the one on the far east side of the facility. It was a minor miracle that we made it without incident or at least without being attacked. I vomited a couple times along the way. Ghoulish decorators had been busy transforming the boring beige walls into one of the circles of hell. After a while I grew numb to the horror, willing myself to wrap it up in a teeny-tiny box and save it for a mental breakdown later. But once we entered the bay, our luck (if you want to call it that) ended.

Xenomorphs, smaller than Styx, they must be the human phenotype. I see Howard. He crushes one of them beneath the heavy caterpillar wheels of an earth mover. He jumps out, and I stare open-mouthed at a long slash across his belly leaking white fluid and tubules.

"Blake!"

I snap out of it. "Howard! We have to get out of here!"

A man's cry of anguish. Aldridge, I see him. My eyes catch his wide blue ones a second before two xenos rip him apart at the middle. My head swims. The air seems thinner. I hold onto Styx as I teeter between passing out or vomiting.

"Blake!"

I suck in a breath. Howard points, and I follow. There's a ship. A stealth bird of some kind if I had to guess since its anodized hull was onyx to make it almost invisible against the backdrop of space behind it.

"Go!"

I stare at him in confusion as he heads for the control center. "Howard where are you going?!"

"I can't leave!"

Was he insane?! "Howard, come with us!"

"I can't!" Howard stares after us as we make our way to the ship. A xeno leaps for me, Styx's tail lashes out in a lightning fast reflex and sends the smaller xeno shrieking across the bay.

At the ship, I use Dr. Reid's key card to unlock its moorings. Nothing happens. I look back. Howard gives me a mock salute and unlocks them from the control center.

"Howard!" The ship's ramp descends in a smooth almost soundless wave. "Hurry up!"

He shakes his head. "I want to go with you, Blake. Truly, I do, but I can't. I have to make sure nothing survives."

What he meant was he had to set off the nukes buried deep in the planetoid. My vision fogged with tears. "Is there no way to do that fro-"

Styx's three sisters spilled into the bay. The smaller xenos looked at one another then joined the three. The mentality of a pack was much different from a single hunter. Styx wouldn't be able to cow them all into submission. Our time was up.

I gave Howard a final look. Saddened that I never really got to know the tech. Frowning, he pointed to the ship then went back to the controls.

Styx shoved my shoulder. The pack had split up trying to cut us off. I didn't need any incentive. I turned and ran up the ramp, Styx right behind me.

Heart in my throat, I raced to the cockpit. On a holoprojector, I pulled up one of the rear cam feeds. The facility quickly shrank as we made our escape into the void with no plan and nowhere to go. Tears streaked my face as I watched the explosion. Everyone was dead. Gone. Dust in the vacuum of space.

It hit me then as I sobbed over the loss of a friend and another I didn't even know I had, that technically I was dead too. My father would think I died in that explosion. In essence, I was... free. I could go wherever I wanted and not worry about his shadow already being there waiting for me.

Wiping my face, I pulled up all of Wey-Yu's planetary charts. I'd need to lay low for a while to be on the safe side. And it wasn't like I could take Styx anywhere densely populated or even sparsely populated. We needed isolation. We needed to go somewhere no one would think to look or want to visit.

After putting in some parameters, the computer spat out a couple suggestions. A lonely moon caught my eye, and I couldn't decide if it was poetic that it happened to be nestled in a system better known as the Devil's Knot or the gods' attempt at bleak humor...

* * *

 **A/N: Woo-hoo! So glad I finally got that done! This chapter was a little rushed, but I'm okay with that because sometimes breakneck speed just works better. And now things really get interesting ;) Be sure to hit the review button! Until next time!**

 **Tenfangirl: Lol! So now I have this image of Danny towering over Nina XD Thanx girl!**

 **angel897: Thanx for the love, angel ;)**

 **equipagan: Lol, not quite yet! But don't worry that bad boy is headed her way ;) Haha! Yeah, I wanted Blake to be different. Thanx for the compliment! And the love! :D**

 **Luna Silvereyes: Huh, I never even thought about it. I just made up Elizabeth Shaw. Anyway, I don't know if you got through ch. 5 yet, but I hope you enjoyed it. Thanx!**

 **KittyKatt25: Mwahahaha because I'm evil! XD Lol, hope you enjoyed the update! Thanx for the love!**

 **KTCameleon: Oh, yes! And it's about to get even more interesting! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Monsters**

 **2220 C.E.**

 _"The wind chill is approximately minus one hundred and one degrees Celsius,"_ Oz warned over the com. It buzzed uncomfortably in my ear, and I reflexively tried to rub it against my shoulder, but with the helmet on, it made my attempt to rid the itch, fruitless.

"Noted," I grunted, ignoring the angry red warnings the HUD flashed continuously in my periphery. Styx stalked along beside me, the fridged wind not bothering her in the slightest. From what I've observed, xeno's prefer a more tropical climate, but they can survive and thrive just about anywhere. A xenomorph's adaptive capabilities were truly astounding and enviable.

 _"Nightfall is upon us, Blake, and the degraded fabric of your thermal armor will not be able to protect you from the severe temperature drop."_

"And if I don't sweep the snow from the solar panels I'll freeze anyway," I countered, slowly trudging my way through the thigh deep snow on the old research centers flat top. It didn't matter that the sun was going down. If the panels weren't properly taken care of at least three times a day, I'd have to dismantle them and bring them inside to thaw. I sighed. You'd think with all the equipment Wey-Yu left lying around, someone would've had the courtesy to leave a shovel. Of course, even if I dug a path to the panels it would fill with snow in a matter of hours or even minutes depending on the weather.

The packed snow _swished_ noisily against the climate suit. The gear was outdated by about two decades, and the previous owner had been at least four inches taller than me, but beggars can't be choosers.

Even with a breathable atmosphere, terraforming Lv-463 had been doomed from the start. And like everything else on this moon, the armor had been left behind. This icy world was no winter wonderland, it was a harsh environment, one of the most deadly the Company ever discovered. With temperatures that can plummet to minus one hundred and ninety-seven degrees Celsius, exposure was a constant threat, but it wasn't the only thing that could kill you. Several meters below (hundreds in some places) the earth leached lethal toxins into the snow.

Nobody _chooses_ to live here. Except for me of course. And Styx. The last two years have been difficult, to say the least, it wasn't easy in such inhospitable conditions, but we managed. We couldn't stay here forever. I knew this, but the constant paranoia of being found out by my father somehow turned the scrap of freedom I'd _died_ for into a prison.

Sighing, I tilted the solar panels up, and big clumps of snow sluffed off. What didn't fall off on its own, I brushed away with a broken broom. The cross-shaped shadows from the skeletal remains of a wind farm deepened on the roof, the sun slowly sinking behind the mountainous landscape.

My breathing grew labored, and despite Oz's warning, the exertion made the suit feel warm and stuffy. The gear might be outdated, but it still did its job, automatically adjusting to the heat my body gave off to help keep me from sweating. Sweating was a bad thing in this environment. Condensation collecting on the inside of your helmet _that_ was a bad thing. If the suit developed a leak and the frigid air seeped inside _that_ was death.

 _"Damn! Bad news, Blake."_

My shoulders pinched. A million scenarios ran through my head most of them consisting of my father or his second, Alec.

 _If he's here- no. No! Stop it, Blake!_

"What is it, Oz?" My voice cracked with anxiety.

 _"A storm has wiped out the satellite array in the north base. Long range sensors are inactive."_

Not the worst news but not great either. "Anything you can do about that?"

Oz snorted. _"Sure. If I had legs or could lift a few tons of metal and snow."_

I rolled my eyes. Oz was an adaptation of MU-TH-UR, and after his crew abandoned him, he became a little less user-friendly, and a little bit more cynical. "So we're blind if anything or anyone enters the atmosphere?"

 _"If you set up boosters we might be able to detect anything punching through it. We won't see them coming, but we'll feel the impact."_

Good enough. I nodded to myself and went back to sweeping. "I'll do it tomorrow."

 _"You won't be doing shit if you become one of natures frozen wonders! Get inside!"_

"Okay," laughter in my voice. The ornery AI had developed a soft spot for me and I for him in spite of his abrasive personality. "We're done out here anyway."

Styx brushed past me, her midnight black exoskeleton glittering with ice crystals. Her every exhale condensing into puffy clouds. If I tried that my lungs would instantly freeze solid the moment I took off my helmet. Styx crouched at the edge of the roof, her shoulders bunching as if she were stalking prey. I frowned and went to investigate.

"What is it, girl?"

Mouth open, she seemed to be tasting the air. She hissed, tail lashing in response to something I couldn't sense.

 _A waug, maybe?_

Waugs were one of the very few indigenousness creatures capable of surviving here. Hardy animals with thick woolly coats, they were about the size of a Clydesdale horse. And with their even tempers, I was able to earn the trust of one of them. Traveling great distances here and getting back before the sun went down was tricky. Waugs are fast, not as fast as Styx, but I wasn't about to put a saddle on her.

"I'll leave bay five open for you if you need to hunt," I said as I turned and headed for the ladder. Waugs were also Styx's primary prey since her choices consisted of either them or me. She had a couple of other option, but they were scarce. And of course, Styx wasn't the only predator roaming this icy rock. But I had yet to see any of them. The only evidence Styx and I ever found were the kill sites we occasionally stumbled upon before the snow erased the evidence.

Placing my feet on the sides of the ladder, I slid down in lieu of trying to climb since there was a sheet of ice between each rung. A shadow passed over me. The packed snow barely made a sound as Styx landed below me.

"Not hungry, huh?"

Styx's head swiveled to the east, her attention drawn to whatever was out there.

"Come on," I padded her chest. "Let's get inside before Oz blows another fuse."

 _"I heard that you insect! You wanna freeze to death? Be my guest! And good riddance!"_ The surly AI clicked off the comm, leaving me a little singed from the snap of his ire.

...

Back inside the shelter of the old research habitat, I shucked off the moldering climate suit and brewed some tea. Horrible stuff. The techs who lived here before me had a small stash of loose leaf, but I finished that off months ago. The artificial tea claimed to taste just as good as the real stuff, but I beg to differ. Still, the mug was hot and that's all I cared about as the cold bit at my fingers. The self-sustaining hab was running on solar-powered gens, so I shut off most of the nonessentials which didn't include the heaters, however, it takes a lot of energy to keep this place somewhat comfortably warm. Energy that couldn't be wasted if I wanted things like hot showers, purified water, and light. Only the secondary lights though, because the primaries ate too much power. In addition, it also needed to be stored, otherwise, a particularly bad snowstorm could leave us in the dark and coldfor days. And every snowstorm here was a bad one.

I sank into an old swivel chair, and it creaked in protest as I tucked my legs beneath me in an attempt to get comfy. The hab switched to night mode, so my only source of light in the monitor room came from the soft glow of the control panels. I didn't mind. I liked the dark.

Styx soundlessly appeared out of the gloom and settled herself beside me. If Styx hadn't wanted me to see her, then I wouldn't've. Even now as she lay motionless, its as if the light couldn't touch her, and if I wasn't paying attention she would disappear into the umbrae. I laid a hand on top of her smooth carapace to keep that from happening.

Keeping one hand on Styx, I set the cup on the console and ran a search for more of David Holloway's lectures on dark matter fossils.

"Oh for MU-TH-UR sakes, Blake! Can't you listen to anything other than that old skin bag?" Oz groaned.

"Holloway is an accomplished astrophysicist and-"

"-and an insufferable know-it-all so boring he nearly talked me into a coma! Please can't we listen to something else? What about a holovid?"

"You just want to watch more soap opera. It's unrealistic dribble, Oz."

"Hey! _'Can I Keep Him?'_ is the longest running daytime soap in human history and for good reason! You never know what's gonna happen next! Does Nina love him? Can she overcome the taboo of mating an alien? Do they finally do it? Oh-ho-ho-ho, Blake my fleshy chum you are missing something epic! Please, can we watch it! Pleasepleasepleaseplease!Pweeeeeeeease!"

 _As if an ancient aquatic warrior from some distant galaxy would ever fall in love a human. What nonsense!_ But for all my inward groanings, I found myself leaning back into the chair as Oz pulled up the vid without waiting for my objection. Not that I would've protested -much- but Oz was kind of adorable when he got wound up about his soaps. Not that I would ever tell him that. And bizarre romance aside, I secretly envied the main character's strength.

I found myself leaning forward in my seat and oddly curious by episode 13, and then hopelessly enthralled by episode 15.

 _ **My hand instinctively** **went behind me, going for the knife. But that half-second gave my attacker the advantage. Before I could spin completely around, before my hand even grazed the hilt of the blade, fingers dug into the base of my skull and threw me face first into the window of the Bronco. One moment splitting agony... the next I was on the ground, my vision blurring at the edges... a shadow crouched over me... fingers encircled my throat... then... nothing...**_

Bitter cold frosted my lungs making it hard to breathe. My eyes were wide. My heart a sledgehammer in my chest. _Turn it off..._ I tried to get the words out, but my throat wouldn't work. I'd accused this drama of being unrealistic, now it was too real.

 _Just turn it off!_ But I couldn't. Human nature's funny that way. We can't help ourselves even when it scares us. Episode 16 opened up a wormhole to the past, and as episode 17 began to play, I relived my darkest nightmare over again through Nina.

 _ **He chuckled darkly at my scowl. His hand moved from my leg, slipped behind his back and produced a knife...**_

 _... burning shame streams from my eyes when he's done with me. The fear is every bit as painful as the violation. I try to curl away from him. Try desperately to hide. And maybe he won't see me... but he does. The blow across my cheek makes the room go dark... but only momentarily then a new pain. Cold and penetrating the tip of the blade digs deep into my chest and I feel relief knowing it'll all end soon... it doesn't..._

 _ **"You know what I like about the movies?!"**_

The snarling rage in Nina's voice startles me. I grabbed the armrests of the old desk chair as if I'd fallen into it. Styx was instantly on her feet, the beads of sweat on my cheek cold as her breath ghosted my skin.

"Blake?" Oz questioned, concern softening the coarse nature of his voice. The holovid paused, and I practically jumped out of the chair.

"Don't stop it, Oz!"

The vid started up again, and I watched as Nina drove the blade into her attackers back.

My body collapsed into the chair. I stared at this woman. Yes, it was a work of fiction. Yes, our situations were different but how had she done it? I hadn't been able to fight off the man who'd raped and tore me apart then left me as a warning to my father, but Nina had.

 _She's sooo... strong. I wish I could be that strong..._

Elbows balanced on my knees, I dropped my head and started to cry. All of the pain; all of the shame; all of the humiliation of that day churned in my gut. I jerked away from Styx and vomited. I threw up until the hollow ache in my stomach mirrored my soul. The hot mixture of bile and tea soaked into my thick socks only to rapidly cool and leave my toes numb. But I barely felt it as the thoughts turned in my head.

"...Blake!"

I closed my eyes. Shutting out, Oz. Shutting out everything. I needed quiet. I needed peace. The dark brought both. I liked the dark. Human's developed an obsessive need to shine a light to penetrate that dark. But why? Why would you ever want to see what's waiting for you? It doesn't change a damn thing! Because when that monster came for me all those years ago, I certainly hadn't needed a light because _seeing_ was so much worse...

My rampant imagination dredged up the memory of his cruel twisted smile. I shuddered. Scars burning from sensory memory.

 _Just a pawn..._

* * *

 **angel897: And it's a thrill to receive your reviews as always ;) Stay beautiful!**

 **Tenfangirl: Thanx! I think you'll get a little rush out of the next chapter too ;D**

 **KTCameleon: Sorry. Good theory though. But I needed a little time to pass in order for what I have in store to work. Thanx for the love! :)**

 **Aqua-Zombie: Thanx! I can hardly wait to share them! :D**

 **Akari Wolf Princess: Hi, Akari! I love that you're hooked! More to be revealed ;) Thanx!**

 **Guest 1: Sorry for the wait! Hope you're still reading and enjoyed the update! Thanx! :)**

 **Dex-Halo Twitches: I think so too, lol! And there's still so much more for Blake and Styx to overcome ;) Thanx!**

 **StoryWeaver4Ever: Thanx! Sorry for the long wait. Hope you're still reading it and enjoyed the update!**


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